Its difficult to break old habits, especially when youre a retired teacher of 35 years. Thats why the Clinton woman and her husband did their homework and verified their facts using multiple sources when they suspected they were Maryland Lottery winners. Only then did they head for Lottery headquarters to turn in their $1 million Mega Millions winning ticket.

Their journey to good fortune began when the Prince Georges County duo bought the $1 ticket at Washington Mart in Waldorf. They let the machine quick-pick their numbers for the Oct. 7 drawing. That night, the couple watched the drawing on television. They were reading off numbers and I had them all in a row, in perfect order, the husband said.

Not wanting to get too excited in case of a misunderstanding, the woman called the Lotterys winning numbers hotline and heard the same digits repeated back to her. Still, they were dubious about the win. They next went to a Lottery retailer for a copy of the winning numbers, which revealed the same information. At that point, they conceded that they did, indeed, hold the winning ticket!

I checked three sources, the woman said with a smile. I did my homework.

Until they decide what to do with the winnings, they plan to keep quiet about their good fortune. The Charles County retailer, Washington Mart located at 2145 Crain Highway, received a $2,500 bonus for selling the ticket. This is Marylands sixth second-tier $1 million Mega Millions win in 2014.